Hi all,

After raising an incredible £1000 last year, we're going again this year on Thursday 29th December - details to follow and we'd love for you to join if you can!

Words from Liam.

I had just arrived in Amsterdam on the to-be brother-in-law's stag when I got the call. A call that nobody wants. I was told that school had been in touch and that my son had told a friend that he had self harmed. What did this mean? What had he done? And why?

This is a teenage lad who is out-going, excels at school, is athletic, strong enough to lift weights heavier than his own body weight and the best company to spend time with. So again, why would he want to do that to himself?

The second time I received a call, I was at work and it was the school. He had tried to take his own life. Yes, you read that right and when I read it back in black and white I well up just looking at it. No one, let alone a child or teenager should ever feel that that is the best option. So again, why?

And I guess I will never really know, because we all have conversations in our head that we don't want to share, especially with our parents, and certainly not when we are dealing with teenage life.

But through a period of counselling, and starting to recognise triggers the boy is now doing great. He doesn't talk about it (and at 15 I wouldn't have done either) and he seems to be in a good place. 8 months after the first phone call, this lad was confident enough to stand up in front of 100 people and deliver the funniest best man speech a proud dad/groom could ever wish for. He makes me incredibly proud with where he was, where he is now and I'm excited about his future.

A great friend who was in that audience suggested arranging a charity football match to raise some much needed funds to support such a great cause. So we'll be dusting off the old gloves and boots, running off the Christmas Turkey and celebrating being able to be on the same pitch as O.

Young Minds is a charity that helps children and teenagers who are struggling with their mental health and thus my choice to support.

If the above experience resonates with you and you'd like to sponsor our match, your support would be most appreciated by either donating here or buying a ticket on eventbrite.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.